Bring You Back
by Arciam
Summary: "This is the world of Guertena. Dead things become alive here. I just *have* to believe that there is some way to bring him back. Any way at all." Ib's determination to save Garry results in five different ways the story can unfold - and five different endings.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Yes, I have fallen in love with this game. I'm not usually much for RPGs (one exception being HetaOni of course) but this one clearly stole my breath away - I'm not even used to feeling with the characters of RPGs, but "Ib" is made so brilliantly that you can't _help_ but feel their pain... I want to pay tribute to this little fandom of mine as well, and since an AMV would be difficult to make, it is time to write a fanfiction ^^

Or rather, while this _is_ definitely a fanfiction, it is _also_ a collection of new alternate endings that I came up with. Five stories at the price of one, so to speak ^^

There are five different endings; one of them is premature, one dark, two sad and one happy.

Enjoy :)

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Bring You Back

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_Garry is sleeping._

...But she knew very well that he wasn't. He was already beyond the level of unresponsiveness, and this world had also taught her to understand the meaning of having had every last petal plucked from his rose... what the inevitable consequence was.

_Garry is dead._

For a while, all Ib could do was stand in front of his slumped figure and stare. She had no idea what to do now... at this point, a simple slap would do nothing to bring Garry back anymore...

Eventually, she kneeled down beside him - wordlessly, as was her nature - and taking hold of the boy's unresisting face, gently pressed her forehead onto his gradually cooling one. She allowed herself a few moments to feel comfort in the presence of this peculiar person that she had known only for a day, and had yet become so very important to her.

However, for all that she knew of the correlation between roses and life in this world, and for all that she knew of the absoluteness of death, Ib had not given up hope yet. Adamantly, she stood up again, her young but strong heart determined to save her friend.

_This is the world of Guertena. Dead things become alive here. I just _have_ to believe that there is some way to bring him back. Any way at all._

Pushing all thoughts of Mary or even leaving aside, she spared a last glance at Garry's still body before setting out to find a way.

Their surroundings, a world mostly made of and painted with crayon, made it difficult to find anything useful, it did not give her much to work with... But eventually, after looking for what felt like an eternity, she finally found something.

Mary had yet to return from wherever she had gone after destroying his rose, so Ib was free to search the one room she had not accessed up until then - the room that harboured an empty painting called "Mary". Amidst dolls and mannequin heads littering the floor, she spotted the items she needed.

A thick paint brush, along with two small watercolour sets. Together, they offered only the six most basic colours, but they would do. In fact, they were more than enough to realise the idea that formed in her mind.

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**A**: Pick set "Red, Blue, Yellow" - Go to chapter 2

**B**: Pick set "Orange, Green, Purple" - Go to chapter 3


	2. Chapter 2

Ib swiftly picked up the box that contained the colours red, blue, and yellow. She noted only distantly that these three most essential colours incidentally were the same ones representing them - or the other way round - as she exited the room to return to Garry's side.

She would be by his side until the end.

The boy was now even paler than he had used to be. Ib sat down beside him. She stared intently at him as she wetted the brush and dragged it through the blue paint until the brush itself was a rich blue colour.

_I know I cannot simply paint a picture of a blue rose... since the portrait of a rose will still be a fake rose... But maybe..._

She put the first streak of blue on her red rose.

Her right leg began to hurt.

One petal.

Two petals.

Three petals.

_Or perhaps 'four petals, three petals, two petals'..._

When only one petal of her once beautiful red rose was still unpainted, her small, fragile body was aching all over, and breathing was becoming difficult.

With her last bit of strength, she touched the paint brush to the rose again and looked at Garry, who was still not moving.

_You will be safe..._

Five petals.

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Garry blinked. He felt like he had been sleeping for a very long time... in a very uncomfortable position. His body felt unusually stiff, his bones cracked as he stretched, and -

"...Ib?"

The girl was sleeping next to him. Memories came back to him in a flash, of Mary demanding his rose, of himself collapsing on the way and urging Ib to go on without him, convinced that he was done for. An incredible sense of relief washed over him when he realised he was still alive. His face broke into a grin.

"Hey Ib, I'm alright, see? I told you so!" he laughed. "Wake up, Ib! We can get out of here together now! Ib?"

Finally, he noticed that something was amiss.

Ib was not waking up, and there was something about the quiet surrounding the two of them that made Garry feel queasy. He leaned towards her, his hand trembling with apprehension, and gently shook her shoulder.

"...Ib, come on. What's wrong..?"

The shaking caused two items to fall from her hands. A blue rose, and a paint brush still dripping blue.

"No..." he breathed out, completely stunned as the situation dawned on him. "No! Nonono! Ib, come on! IB!"

He slowly stilled his attempts. "Ib..."

_Why would you do something like this? I gave Mary my rose so that you wouldn't be harmed. So why?_

_Why..?_

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**A**: Accept her sacrifice - Go to chapter 4

**B**: Repaint the rose - Go to chapter 5


	3. Chapter 3

Ib swiftly picked up the box that contained the colours orange, green, and purple. She let her plan turn over in a head again as she exited the room to return to Garry's side.

It would only take a miracle for this to work.

The boy was now even paler than he had used to be. Ib sat down beside him. She stared intently at him as she wetted the brush and dragged it through the purple paint until the brush itself was a rich purple colour.

_I know that I cannot simply paint a picture of a blue rose... since the portrait of a rose will still be a fake rose... But maybe... Purple is made up of red and blue... It is a long shot, but it is the only one I have if I want both of us to live._

She put the first streak of purple on her red rose.

One petal.

Two petals.

Three petals.

As the beautiful rose was slowly covered in this equally beautiful secondary colour, Ib tried to sense and watch out for any negative effects on herself, pain, wounds. However, while her breathing became a little laboured, no severe damage to her health was made. She took this as a good sign. Now, if only Garry could wake up as well...

_You will be safe._

Five petals.

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The seconds ticked by as she watched the boy closely for any changes. Even when more than five minutes had already passed in complete silence, she refused to give up hope.

Finally, something moved when Garry began to blink his eyes, as though waking up after a long sleep. He hardly had the chance to grasp his surroundings or waking situation before he suddenly had an armful of Ib pushing up against his stiff, aching body.

"...Ib?"

In an instant, memories were flooding back to him - of Mary demanding his rose, of himself collapsing on the way and urging Ib to continue on without him, thinking he would die for sure... After a moment of astonishment, he enthusiastically hugged the girl back.

"I'm... alive! I'm alive! Ib, I'm _breathing_!" he laughed. "H-how?"

No sooner had he asked this than Ib slowly pulled away from him. Lifting her hand with the rose in it, she silently presented him with the dripping purple flower, in a fashion similar to how the other had returned her red rose to herself earlier.

Garry stared at it. "You... you did this..?"

His question received a nod. Once he had taken in the fact that the young girl had bravely and brilliantly saved both of their lives, he let himself slump against the wall behind him.

"I swear, you're my favourite person in the whole wide world right now..."

Ib gave a small smile.

"Well, let's get out of here, shall we?" Garry pushed himself up on his feet. "I for my part am thoroughly tired of be- Ouph!"

He promptly fell back onto the ground. "What is this? I feel so weak all of a sudden..." he muttered once he had managed to raise himself to a standing position.

"The rose..." Ib said.

The boy took the rose from her into his hand and examined it. After giving it some thought, he said "It shouldn't be surprising, I guess... My rose used to have ten petals - now we are _sharing_ a five-petal rose... Can you stand, Ib?"

The little girl tried to get up, but would have tumbled over had it not been for Garry catching her. She looked up at his smiling face as he said "We share a life now... Guess we'll have to support each other from now on. But I don't mind..."

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**A**: Leave Mary be - Go to chapter 6

**B**: Confront Mary - Go to chapter 7


	4. Chapter 4

_Why? Why would you do something like this?_

Garry clawed at the ground beneath him in a futile attempt not to cry.

"A nine-year-old girl should not give up her life for another..! You should not even have thought of that!"

He gently plucked the flower from her hand as tears rolled down his face. It was a little difficult, however, seeing as she was still holding onto it as though it was something very precious to her.

_My life..._

And all of a sudden, he understood why she had done this. Understood, yes, but he did not fully _get _it.

"..Did my life really mean so much to you..?" he muttered, uncertain.

For a very long time, it might well have been hours, he simply sat by Ib, not knowing what to do. He had given his life to protect Ib... and now the girl had gone and done the same thing for him. Which did not make it any easier for Garry.

_It's not like I can just say "well, we're even" and walk away from you, you know?_

He had more than a few qualms about simply accepting her death and leaving her behind... in fact, he had half a mind to simply repaint the rose, and see who would give up on saving the other first, but he knew this idea was as ridiculous as it was dangerous... Who knew how much more the fragile rose could take? In the end, they might both die, and both of their sacrifices would have been for nothing...

_Also... you're a stubborn kid, aren't you... You would never give up on saving me..._

It was the hardest decision he had ever made, and ever would make. But in the end, he accepted Ib's sacrifice... this immeasurable gift which he could never repay. He leant down and whispered into her ear.

"I'm so, so sorry, Ib..." A tear fell from his eye. "And... thank you so much."

He pressed his lips to her forehead in a light kiss, before he - rose securely in his hand - stood up and turned away, walked away with a heavy and broken heart.

He finally entered the building he had not been able to reach together with Ib before. In the stairwell lay still the discarded stalk and petals of Garry's own rose... they made him feel sick. Ahead of him was a stairway surrounded by vines that looked to have been burned recently. He looked for his lighter and smiled sadly when he found it in a different pocket than it used to be.

_What a smart girl she was..._

Upstairs, he found a strange room he had never seen before, but it did not take long for him to figure out that this was Mary's room. He had almost forgotten all about her.

An empty canvas titled "Mary" was hanging on the far wall of the room.

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**A**: Burn Mary's picture - Go to chapter 8

**B**: Leave Mary be - Go to chapter 9


	5. Chapter 5

_Why? Why would you do something like this?_

Garry clawed at the ground beneath him in a futile attempt not to cry.

"A nine-year-old girl should not give up her life for another..! You should not even have thought of that!"

He let his teary-eyed gaze wander around desperately as tears rolled down his face. Suddenly, they settled upon something lying half-hidden behind the girl. It was the small paint box.

_Wait, there is red in there too..! I should be able to..._

He trailed off in his mind and smiled wryly as he realised that he would be facing his own certain death by doing this. However, it did not even make him hesitate a moment as he reached out for the box and the paint brush. He wetted the brush, removed what was left of blue colour on it, and rolled it through the red paint instead.

_For sure, I don't want to die... But how could I live knowing you died for me..?_

One petal.

Two petals.

Three petals.

As he was about to paint the fourth petal - at this point, sporting severe wounds and panting slightly - he felt that something was going wrong. Very wrong.

He looked on as the rose suddenly began to turn dark, almost black in various places, withering away in his hands by the strain on its frail complexion.

"No..! Wait, stop! Don't do this!" Garry shouted frantically at the dying rose. A stabbing pain in his chest made him drop the flower immediately, left to perish on its own.

Using his last bit of strength, Garry painfully crawled closer to Ib's body.

"I'm sorry, Ib... but... I tried my best for you..."

Five petals.

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**End** - We Tried Our Best

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You received the premature ending. If you mix too many colours, you get black.


	6. Chapter 6

Keeping close to the wall to their right, and occasionally holding onto each other for stability, the two of them made their way towards the stairwell that led to Mary's room, as well as another flight of stairs they both had yet to inspect the destination of. Earlier on, Ib had purposefully not ascended these, as they appeared to go up rather high and she had feared not to be able to return to Garry's side again if she did.

Garry winced when he spotted the discarded stalk and petals of his once rose. Temper flaring up inside of him, he began to storm towards the stairs leading to Mary's room, despite his weakened state.

However, before he could even take a second step, two small hands on his stomach held him back. Bewildered, he looked down to see the troubled face of Ib. His inconsiderate anger vaporised in an instant when he recognised the anxiety in her eyes.

All they really wanted was to leave this place unscathed, he remembered. Punishing Mary for their anguish would ultimately get them nowhere. And left with only five petals to share, neither of them was in any condition for a confrontation. Whatever happened, he wanted the girl in front of him to remain unharmed. And judging from the look on her face, she wished the same for him.

"..You're right, Ib..." Recalling the incident in the mirror room, he chuckled a little. "Again."

Ib smiled.

The peaceful moment was soon interrupted by footsteps coming their way. Their eyes widened in shock before they hurried to hide on the stairs, just in time not to be seen by Mary who was returning from the unknown place upstairs, her expression dark.

"Where are they? Why are they hiding from me?"

Her gaze sunk to the ground. With a few slow steps, she approached the destroyed rose. Suddenly, she stomped on it, mashing the remains under her shoe. "You stupid rose, you lied to me! They both hate me... Father hates me... Everybody hates me!"

She fled up to her lonely room crying. Moments later, the staircase was once more slowly being sealed off with vines.

A long silence spread between the two who had just witnessed the scene. After a long time, Garry finally cleared his throat of the lump that had formed at the thought of what he had been about to do before Ib had stopped him.

"..Come on, Ib. Let's get out of here..."

With some difficulty, they made their way up the unfamilar stairs and found themselves in the sketchbook, where they had been before they had been pushed into the toy box.

They used the pink key they had found, and soon - in a place that very much resembled the art gallery - came across a huge painting. It was titled "Fabricated World".

"T-this is a painting of the gallery! Is this... could this be... the exit?" Garry asked.

Ib nodded as to say 'I think so'.

The boy flashed her a bright grin. "I knew we'd make it! Oh man, I'm so relieved..!" Turning to face Ib, he smiled warmly and held out his hand to the girl. "Come. We'll leave together."

Hugging their shared, purple rose to her chest, she laid her hand in Garry's, and at long last, they finally jumped through the paining, back into their own world.

...

_You can't remember what you were doing..._

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Ib, confused as to why she was standing in such a remote area of the gallery with her back to this gigantic painting that she didn't fully understand the title of, looked around, searching for clues as to what had just happened to her.

_Perhaps I fell asleep?_

Thinking nothing further of it, she continued where she thought to have left off in her tour around the gallery. After a while, she headed downstairs again and turned right at the "Abyss of the Deep" which she had already seen before.

_..Since when do I know this word, 'abyss'? I felt like I didn't understand it before..._

Taking no note of where she was going anymore, she headed for a big sculpture in the corner of the room. It depticted a purple rose.

However, for a reason unknown to her, she suddenly felt faint. Her knees gave out, making her bump harshly into another person who was currently beholding the sculpture. After emitting a gasp of surprise at being shoved like this, he quickly caught the girl and helped to steady her.

"C-careful, young miss... or you could get hurt. Are you alright?"

She looked up at the concerned face of the stranger. He looked quite unusual with his purple hair, pale skin and ragged clothes.

She nodded.

"That's good." the stranger smiled. "Did you trip or something?"

She shook her head this time. "I feel a little weak..."

The boy's eyes widened. "Really? How strange, so do I... Since half an hour ago or so..."

As they both held onto the other, a sense of déjà vu would remain the only sort of memory of the happenings in the world of Guertena that would ever return to them. However, they did not need to return - because the feelings of friendship and affinity now returned in an instant. They had established a bond that their incomplete memories could never sever. Prove of which, unbeknownst to them, was standing literally right in front of them.

The older boy chuckled. "Well... maybe we can both help each other out a bit." He closed his eyes smilingly. "I wouldn't mind."

And Ib smiled back at him.

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**End** - Together Forever II

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Congratulations! You received the happy ending. As a small reward, here are all the possible endings of this story, and the paths (choices) leading up to them:

AAA - "The Forgotten Portrait II" (sad)

AAB - "Ib Of The Yellow Rose" (sad)

AB - "We Tried Our Best" (premature)

BA - "Together Forever II" (happy)

BB - "Welcome To The World Of Guertena II" (dark)


	7. Chapter 7

Keeping close to the wall to their right, and occasionally holding onto each other for stability, the two of them made their way towards the stairwell that led to Mary's room as well as another flight of stairs they both had yet to inspect the destination of. Earlier on, Ib had purposefully not ascended these, as they appeared to go up rather high and she had feared not to be able to return to Garry's side again if she did.

Garry winced when he spotted the discarded stalk and petals of his once rose. Anger flaring up inside of him, he began to storm upstairs into Mary's room, despite his weakened state.

Ib followed closely behind.

"She's not here..." he said as they looked around the room. After a while of examining the things spread all over the floor, Garry, who had not been to this room before, jerked to a halt when he noticed the empty canvas hanging on the wall.

"This is...!" was all he had time to say before he heard a voice not belonging to Ib behind them.

"Who's there?" asked Mary. "...Ib, Garry... You're both okay...?" She appeared almost happy to see them when suddenly she remembered where exactly they were. Her expression darkened considerably. "...How did you get into this room? Leave..."

"Mary... you..." Garry began.

"Don't take another step!" the blonde girl ordered, now furious.

"Wha...?" he asked confusedly.

"Leave right now!" she approached them. "Now! NOW! NOOOW!" she screamed hysterically. "LEEEAAAVEE!"

She charged towards Ib, the pallet knife in her hand. Garry was able to intercept the attack at the very last second, though not without receiving damage himself. Mary, a girl of about the same stature as Ib, should not have been so difficult to fend off, but due to his already unfavourable condition, Garry found that he had to use all of his strength just to keep a grip on her arms. Even so, she was still able to land a few hits.

"Ib! Burn the picture! I can't hold her much longer!" he shouted, and Ib immediately fished out the lighter she had put back into his pocket after burning the vines.

"No!" shouted Mary as the other girl set fire to the frame. "What are you doing? Please, don't do it! Ib!"

She screamed as she turned to the ashes of her own portrait.

For a long time, everything was silent, save for the sound of hard breathing.

"We... we made it. Phew..." Garry sighed with relief. After catching his breath a bit, he said "Come, Ib. Let's get out of here quick."

Ascending the unknown staircase was nearly impossible for them - the fight had consumed a lot of their shared energy, and thus they were now even weaker than before. It took time, but they eventually reached the top of the stairs to find themselves in the sketchbook, where they had been before they had been pushed into the toy box. They used the pink key they had found, and in a place closely resembling the art gallery, came across a huge painting titled "Fabricated World".

"Is this... could this be... the exit?" Garry asked.

Ib nodded slowly as to say 'I think so'.

The boy gave a tired smile. "I knew we'd make it..."

However, when the painting lost its frame and they attempted to crawl through... they found they were unable to. Their eyes widened in horror.

"What?"

They tried again and again, but for them, the gate was closed. Remembering their rose, Ib took it out for both of them to see. There was only one petal left.

"I must have received more severe injuries than I thought..." mused Garry. "But that doesn't explain... Oh no." he paled.

The girl stared up at him, frightened and questioning.

"...W-we share this rose... So we share this petal too... Which means we both have less than a petal left..." he explained dazedly. "We're practically dead... We cannot leave..."

A look of terror spread on Ib's face. Eventually they both slumped down to sit on the floor, side by side as hope drained away and catatonic despair took over.

Suddenly, a high-pitched giggle resounded through the dark halls.

"Isn't this wonderful?" the disembodied voice chirped happily. They distantly recognised the voice as Mary's.

"Now you can stay here with me forever!"

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**End** - Welcome To The World Of Guertena II

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You received the dark ending. Loneliness breaks the spirit.


	8. Chapter 8

Touching the lighter through the fabric of his coat, Garry approached the frame with a dark expression.

_All of this happened because of you. I cannot forgive you._

As he took the lighter into his hand, his mind wandered back to how he and Ib had first met her.

_I know am just as much to blame... since I was the one to make the three of us join forces. I will take all of the responsibility - and set right what I did wrong._

With this last thought in mind, he finally set fire to the painting. He looked on as it burned away, vanished before his eyes.

Once no trace of it was left, he turned away and left. Silently, he ascended the stairs opposite of Mary's room. Heading for the pink door, he tried not to pay attention to the pile of ashes lying on his way. After using the key he and Ib had found, he found himself in a place that closely resembled the art gallery.

When he came across a huge painting titled "Fabricated World" which appeared to depict the gallery, Garry knew he had found the exit. The way out of this nightmare. Yet he said nothing, nor did he seem very happy or relieved.

Instead, he simply glanced the way he had come a last time with sad eyes. Bringing the blue rose to his chest, he jumped through the painting.

...

_You can't remember what you were doing..._

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Garry did not know how he had ended up in this area of the art gallery. The last he remembered was beholding a picture called "The Hanged Man", but now he was standing in front of a wholly different painting.

_I must have been lost in my thoughts..._

For a reason he did not know, Garry felt unwell. He decided to take a final tour around the gallery and then go home afterwards. Downstairs, he passed the "Abyss Of The Deep" and went straight ahead, hardly even looking at the works aynmore. Once he had rounded two corners, having passed the display cabinets to the left and right of the passage way, he could see the sculpture of a rose in the distance. On his way, however, a specific painting caught his eye.

He had seen it before, or rather, he thought to have seen a different picture in its stead when he had first walked along this hall. It depicted a little girl, apparently sleeping, with a blue paint brush in her hand. A very peculiar painting that made Garry feel uneasy, yet he could not move away from it.

He checked the title. He thought it to be slightly different from before as well.

It was named "Selfless Girl".

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**End** - The Forgotten Portrait II

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You received a sad ending. Sometimes, the key to happiness is a bad memory.


	9. Chapter 9

Touching the lighter through the fabric of his coat, Garry approached the frame with a dark expression.

_All of this happened because of you. I cannot forgive you..._

But as he took the lighter into his hand, his mind wandered back to how, in the mirror room, Ib had stopped him from kicking the mannequin head when his temper had gotten the better of him once again. It made him falter in his actions.

_You... you would not have wanted me to destroy her, would you..?_

With a shaky sigh he let the lighter slide back into his pocket.

"You're right... It's not like it's entirely her fault either... and what would I stand to gain anyway?" he muttered.

Keeping his saddened gaze at the ground beneath him, Garry turned away and left. He ascended the stairs opposite of Mary's room, and found himself back at the sketchbook. Heading for the pink house he and Ib had acquired the key to in the toy box, he narrowly avoided being spotted by Mary, who was still roaming the area, appearing to be looking for Ib.

Her eyes were tinged with a desperation and deep-seated loneliness that made Garry feel grateful that he had not blindly burned her like he almost had. In the end, how much could a being unable to define cruelty be held responsible for its wrongdoings?

Garry decided to let it go.

Using the pink key, he reached a place that closely resembled the art gallery. He soon found a huge painting titled "Fabricated World". It depicted the gallery in the real world, telling him that he had finally found the exit to this waking nightmare.

He stood still for a few moments. Keeping the blue rose close to his heart, Garry sighed a last time before jumping through the painting.

...

_You can't remember what you were doing..._

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Garry did not know how he had ended up in this area of the art gallery. The last he remembered was beholding a picture called "The Hanged Man", but now he was standing in front of a wholly different painting.

_I was probably just not paying attention to where I was going..._

Thinking nothing further of it, he decided to continue his tour around the gallery.

Downstairs, he found a big sculpture of a rose. Coming to a halt before it, he inspected it closely, stared at it for minutes.

_Something is off about this... Don't know what though..._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two adults - a married couple - several feet to his right.

"Come, Ib, it's time to go home..!" the woman shouted down the hall.

Garry noted a flash of blonde hair, almost the same yellow colour as the artificial rose in front of him, as a girl ran past him towards the couple.

"Yayy! I'm hungry, mommy!" she giggled.

"Really now, Ib... Is food all you think about?" the woman laughed good-naturedly as the three of them walked away towards the exit.

Garry turned his head and watched them leave until they were out of sight.

"...'Ib'?" he said.

He began to walk down the hall, beholding the other works of art.

"What an unusual name..."

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**End** - Ib Of The Yellow Rose

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You received a sad ending. Yellow roses... they can either mean friendship or betrayal.


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